The “Offering of Self” Prayer from St. Ignatius of Loyola
Pray this short prayer to make an offering of Self from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Pray this short prayer to make an offering of Self from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Prayer is a form of communication with God that draws us closer to Him and to doing His holy will. There are many efficacious ways to pray but the best thing to do is to start by opening your heart and humble yourself before God. But it is hard to do this if you do not know God or understand His ways. How do you enter into His presence and open your heart to receive His grace?
The Catholic church has a long history of teaching Christians how to pray. There are five ways to pray, or types of prayers. These ways to pray are worship and praise, petition and intercession, supplication, thanksgiving, and spiritual warfare.
If you are new to prayer and do not know where to start, begin by structuring your day around prayer and use the prayers that were given to us by the angels and saints. Many of them are here on this website. When you have prayed these prayers and meditated on His holy word, then open your heart to pray in your own words. Then spend time in adoration, seeking to know Him in silence. This is the most powerful and beautiful way to pray – to sit in His presence and love Him in silence and let Him fill you with grace.
This mental prayer contemplates the Eternal Father in the parable of the prodigal son. It also praises the Eternal Father who has also brought me back to life.
Jesus my cornerstone, you are the stone that the builders rejected, yet all things came into being through you. In you is life.
Probe my mind and test my heart Lord. I desire you above all things. Reward me according to your ways; I trust in you.
Lord you redeem me and set me free from snares through your Passion, death, and resurrection. Help me imitate you with sacrificial love.
Lord you cleanse me of my scarlet sins and make me white as snow when I am willing to obey you and do your will.
A prayerful reflection on God’s holy love; His gifts given in response to our charity— in a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing.
Holy Spirit help me listen to Jesus, the beloved Son and the Eternal Word, who the Father asks us to listen to, love, and obey.
Jesus, from today onward I promise to walk in your ways, to belong to you, to be one of your own. I will love you with all my heart and soul.
Have you lost your faith and turned away from God? In today’s reading we pray, “Jesus help me turn away from all my sinful habits.”
Let us prayerfully reflect on the words of Jesus to the Apostle Peter, to whom he gave the keys to the kingdom of heaven for the sake of our eternal salvation.
